Dirk M. Elston, MD

Article

What’s Eating You? Ixodes Tick and Related Diseases, Part 1: Life Cycle, Local Reactions, and Lyme Disease

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: March 6, 2018

The Ixodes tick is an important arthropod vector in the transmission of human disease. This 3-part review highlights the biology of the

Article

What’s Eating You? Sand Flies

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: February 5, 2018

As thousands of Americans descended upon Brazil for the Olympic games in the summer of 2016, the mosquito-borne Zika virus became a source of great...

Article

Purpuric Macule of the Right Axilla

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: January 8, 2018

Article

What’s Eating You? Clinical Manifestations of Dermacentor Tick Bites

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: January 8, 2018

Dermacentor ticks are hard ticks found throughout most of North America and are easily identified by their large size, ornate scutum, and ...

Article

What’s Eating You? Head Lice (Pediculus humanus capitis)

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: December 1, 2017

The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is a blood-sucking arthropod of the suborder Anoplura. Infestation continues in epidemic proporti...

Article

What’s Eating You? Scabies in the Developing World

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: October 31, 2017

Scabies infestation is a major cause of impetigo and subsequent renal failure in the developing world, and efforts to eradicate widespread infestat...

Article

Hyperpigmented Patch on the Leg

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: September 7, 2017

A 32-year-old man presented with an asymptomatic pigmented lesion on the left foot that developed over the course of 4 months. Physical examination...

Article

What's Eating You? Sticktight Flea Revisited

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: July 5, 2017

The sticktight flea (Echidnophaga gallinacea) earns its name by embedding its head in the host's skin. It has been found in many species of birds a...

Article

What’s Eating You? Chiggers

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: June 5, 2017

Belonging to the Trombiculidae family of mites, chigger specifically refers to the larval stage of the mite’s life cycle when it is able to bite it...

Article

What’s Eating You? Cheyletiella Mites

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: May 1, 2017

Cheyletiella are nonburrowing mites commonly found on rabbits, dogs, and cats. The mites have been known to cause disease in humans, ranging from m...

Article

Flesh-Colored Nodule With Underlying Sclerotic Plaque

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: April 11, 2017

Article

Bluish Gray Hyperpigmentation on the Face and Neck

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: March 16, 2017

Article

What’s Eating You? Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum)

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: February 6, 2017

Amblyomma americanum, also known as the lone star tick, is found in much of the eastern United States. Since the mid-20th century, the lone star ti...

Article

Clinicians Should Retain the Ability to Choose a Pathologist

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: January 3, 2017

As employers search for ways to reduce the cost of providing health care to their employees, there is a growing trend toward narrowed provider netw...

Article

Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis and the Risk for Malignancy

Author:: Dirk M. Elston, MD

Publish date: October 5, 2016

To the Editor:Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare autosomal-recessive genodermatosis characterized by widespread infection with specific...